How to Write a Bibliography

If you are like me, you probably put your heart and soul into creating a wonderful paper, essay or article. You know that you conducted the necessary research and that you wrote a sound paper. However, you are now at the end and you may be wondering, how can you write a bibliography? Well, I am here to tell you that writing a bibliography does not have to give you a headache. In fact, it can be a fun experience if you follow these proven tips. Here is what you will need to do:

1. Know what a bibliography entails. According to wikipedia, a bibliography is the study and description of books. It can be divided into enumerative or systematic bibliography, which results in an overview of publications in a particular category, and analytical and critical bibliography, which studies the production of books. Bibliographical works are almost always considered tertiary sources. In a nutshell, a bibliography is a list of magazines, books, and newspapers that you used to conduct your research.

2. Track your sources. When conducting research and writing your paper. Keep track of where you got the sources. Therefore, if you find a quote in an article or encyclopedia and wish to use it in your paper, then properly cite it right away. Do not wait until the end to prepare your final bibliography. Instead, make it a work in progress and work on it while you are working on your paper. For instance, if you use a certain book, encyclopedia, or article then write it down. Keep track of the title, author, place of publication, publisher, and publishing date for every item that you utilize.

3. Know the rules. Familiarize yourself with the various bibliography writing methods. This can be done by visiting sample bibliographies and then following those samples. For instance, with a book, you would include the author and title whereas for an article you would also include the author, magazine title, year of publication, and page number where you found the information.

4. Follow these extra tips:

a. Your bibliography should be in alphabetical order. If there is no author use the first word of the title (no pronouns however)

b. If more than one person wrote the source material then list them both in the order they are listed on the title page.

5. Recheck your sources. Once you are done double check your sources to make sure that the information is correct.

In conclusion, creating a bibliography takes a bit more work but it is an important step that cannot be ignored. By following the above steps, you will be able to create a great bibliography that properly cites your sources!